Faith
A History of Simpsonwood UMC
In a clearing in the woods of Georgia stands a church known as Simpsonwood United Methodist Church (UMC). Over the past 40 years, the city around it has grown and so has the church — from a humble trailer to an interactive campus where young and old do the Lord’s work.
A glorious gift
The church’s history began in 1971 with a generous gift of land, bestowed by a local Christian benefactor. In 1910, Anna Louise Simpson, “Miss Ludie” to her many students, began her teaching career in the Atlanta and Gwinnett County School systems. Her career had spanned 35 years and she retired at age 70.
Originally the family farm, the land is a beautiful tract of some 277 prime acres located on the Chattahoochee River. Miss Ludie attended a small circuit church in nearby Mount Carmel, serviced by both Presbyterian and Methodist circuit ministers. She happened to join the church during one of the Presbyterian “alternate” Sundays. Still, she remained close to both denominations.
In 1971 at the age of 84, Miss Ludie shared her vision that her land be kept intact so all people could enjoy God’s beautiful creation. The land was first offered to the Presbyterian Church. However, the Presbyterians preferred to establish churches in more populated areas other than the small, rural community which later became known as Peachtree Corners.
Miss Ludie then approached Bishop John O. Smith, who asked Dr. Candler Budd to visit with her and discuss the offer. Within 24 hours, Dr. Budd assured her that the United Methodist Church wanted the land and would faithfully honor her conditions, including the construction and maintenance of a small chapel dedicated to the memory of her mother, Elizabeth Jane Sanders Simpson.
In 1973, the North Georgia Annual Conference took the first steps to develop the land into a retreat and conference center. Many years later, the retreat center was sold and is now maintained as a park by Gwinnett County.
Miss Ludie passed away on April 29, 1975, without seeing the development of the beautiful conference center that bears her name. She is buried with her mother in the Mount Carmel United Methodist Church cemetery in Norcross.
Faith and vision
By 1981, Simpsonwood UMC’s first minister, Dr. George R. Freeman, Jr., the son of a Methodist minister, was approached to develop a new congregation near the property. At the time, George was the Associate Pastor of the East Point First Methodist Church in East Point.
George initially approached Jim Cowart, the developer of Peachtree Station, the first upscale subdivision in Peachtree Corners. Jim had allocated land to develop neighborhood churches at the intersection of Peachtree Corners Circle and West Jones Bridge Road, the current locations of the Peachtree Corners Baptist Church and the Fowler YMCA.
An 11-acre tract of land on the corner of the Simpsonwood property and across Jones Bridge Circle was designated for the construction of the new church. The Conference New Church Development Committee allocated $150,000 for the church construction. Most of the money would be used to excavate and develop the sloping, rocky lot into a usable foundation.
In those days, metal buildings were typically erected to begin the development of a church. Once a congregation was formed and the new church had adequate financing, a permanent sanctuary would be constructed.
George strongly felt that given the potential upscale development of Peachtree Corners, people would be more inclined to notice the new church if a more appropriate wooden building could be constructed and painted to compliment the natural surroundings.
George approached a builder of modular and manufactured homes in Gainesville to price plans and specifications for the new building. He requested a large open area, unobstructed by center supports, that would seat at least 200 people, with two offices in the back and a large, double-door entranceway. George also wanted taller, narrow windows and exterior siding constructed of wood and painted to match the natural surroundings.
Constructed at a cost of $35,000, the completed building was delivered and set up. Financing for the cost of the project was obtained through the Conference Ten-Dollar Club, a large group of Methodist members who donated the sum of $10 twice each year for the future construction of new churches.
With the “trailer” completed, Simpsonwood UMC had its official beginning on Sunday, March 14, 1982, followed by the Service of Constitution on May 30, 1982. Thirty-seven charter members of the first congregation made their oral petition for Charter.
A covered dish dinner at the picnic pavilion celebrated the new Christian fellowship. Simpsonwood UMC was on its way!
Solid and continued growth
The congregation grew in size, laying a solid foundation while building for the future. Phase One of the master plan called for a magnificent 15,000-square-foot building that was to become the new sanctuary.
On February 10, 1985, the congregation triumphantly walked across Jones Bridge Circle for the groundbreaking ceremony of its permanent church home.
The new sanctuary was completed in time for the church’s first service on Sunday, August 24, 1986, followed by the consecration service three weeks later on September 14, 1986.
The “trailer,” as the temporary building came to be known, was transported across the street and located behind the Sanctuary, where it served the church’s Christian Youth Ministries for many years.
Years later, the congregation held its collective breath as the old trailer was moved a third time to its present location on the east side of the sanctuary and in back of the parking lot.
Through the years, Simpsonwood UMC has continued to grow in size and in membership, creating the need for additional space. In the spring of 1995, the church launched its “Standing on the Threshold” campaign to raise funding for the construction of an education building.
It was finished and dedicated on December 14, 1997. The building currently houses church staff and contains a library, classrooms and the Simpsonwood UMC preschool.
The new millennium brought continued growth, along with the realization that additional space would be required as the congregation grew. In 2004, the concept of a family life center was born.
A building committee was appointed, and in 2005, the “Building in Faith” campaign was launched. The church’s initial financial goals were met in September of that year and construction of the Howard Family Life Center was completed in the fall of 2007.
Many more blessings to count
Simpsonwood UMC has been blessed over the years. Under the leadership of its present and past ministerial staff, the church has grown from a handful of charter members in 1982 to a congregation of over 1,600 members today.
Beginning with Founding Minister George R. Freeman, Jr., the church grew from a concept. George served the church from his appointment in June 1981 until June 1988. That month, Dr. Robert Brown continued the Simpsonwood ministry, serving its congregation until June 1990.
At that time, the conference appointed Dr. Laurence McCullough, Jr. as the church’s third pastor. Through his 20 years of leadership, the church greatly expanded its membership, facilities and programs to include local, national and international missions.
In June 2005, Simpsonwood UMC was blessed again by the appointment of The Reverend Keith Lawder as Associate Pastor. A member of the congregation since February 1989, Keith became Student Pastor in June 2002 while completing Seminary.
Simpsonwood UMC’s future is bright. In 2021, a husband-and-wife team was appointed as co-senior pastors. Susan and Dave Allen Grady are the current pastors and have a long-range vision for the church’s continued growth and mission.
The church continues to honor its long-standing mission: “To Know Christ and Make Him Known.” Within 40 years, Simpsonwood UMC has moved from a simple trailer to a magnificent sanctuary and surrounding campus that serves a growing, faithful congregation.
Perimeter Ballet celebrates its 30th anniversary this year. Founded in September 1995, the faith-based ballet school in Johns Creek has long been an integral part of the local arts scene and the community.
What began as a bare-bones program held in the sanctuary of Perimeter Church — on carpeted concrete floors, using the backs of chairs for barres — has grown into a respected school of more than 200 students. Ranging in age from five to 18, the young dancers at Perimeter Ballet are not only committed to the study of dance but also to using their gifts to share their faith.
According to the program’s website, their purpose is to “emphasize character along with technique … to counter the natural tendency towards self-absorption in the ballet studio.”
They are “very committed to teaching children to dance — to develop discipline, technique and musicality. [But] the Christian instructors [also] train the students in a context that understands that there’s a reason to dance.”
30 years of dance and faith
Current director, Becky Brown, has led the school for several years, growing the program while faithfully following Perimeter Ballet’s original mission. She oversees weekly classes, summer dance camps and annual productions, including an acclaimed Spring Recital and a presentation of The Nutcracker each December.
For the 30th anniversary, Brown is excited to continue the creative work of the ballet school and share their artistry and message with a larger audience.
“This year will certainly be a special time for us as we celebrate and look back on 30 wonderful years of Perimeter Ballet and 20 years for our performing company, For His Glory,” she said. “We will be performing the Nutcracker December 11–13 and will have some beautiful new costumes to commemorate the occasion. We look forward to seeing many of our alumni and their families at the performance.”
Classes and instructors
Open to the community at large, weekly classes at Perimeter Ballet range from Creative Movement, PreBallet and grade-level classes for preschoolers through third grade to more advanced classes (two or more times per week) for older students.
Summer camp sessions as well as intermediate level and advanced level intensives are also offered. For the upper-level intensives, students work on their ballet technique but also branch out into jazz and other forms of dance.
The school’s nine teachers are skilled not just as instructors but as performers themselves, having years of experience dancing with companies such as Ballet Southeast, Atlanta Ballet, North Atlanta Dance Academy and the Metropolitan Opera Ballet. They bring that experience and their Christian faith to all of their classes and interactions with the young students.
For His Glory
In addition to the work they do as a ballet school, Perimeter Ballet also has an audition-selected performance company — For His Glory.
With three levels, made up of dedicated students striving to advance their skills and reach their “God-given potential while giving glory to [their] Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ,” the program presents several high-quality productions throughout the year.
As Perimeter Ballet shares on their website: “Dancers are trained in the ballet classics as well as contemporary forms of dance, which are used in performances, worship settings and outreach. Classical ballets … in the group’s repertoire include Cinderella, Sleeping Beauty, Coppélia, excerpts from Four Seasons and La Fille Mal Gardee. In addition to Christmas and other outreach programs, For His Glory has danced internationally in London, India and Belarus.”
The group most recently performed Beauty & the Beast for two successful shows on stage at the Perimeter Church Sanctuary in early February of this year.
Impact and inspiration
All of this — the focus on faith and commitment to dance, the classes, intensives and stunning productions — have been a decades-long inspiration to the community and especially the student dancers who take part.
Many of the students stay with Perimeter Ballet for much of their childhood, learning and growing in dance as well as in their faith from elementary age through high school. That kind of involvement can clearly impact every aspect of their lives, from discipline learned to how they choose to interact with and be in the world.
One student, Anne Bradley Maxwell has been taking ballet with the Perimeter program since she was three years old. Now a high school junior in Peachtree Corners, she’s reflected on her time at the school and in the performance company as well as Perimeter Ballet’s milestone anniversary.
“For fifteen years … I matured within this unique, local community arts program,” she shared. “This year marks the 30th anniversary of its founding … and I’m honored to say I’ve been a student for half of that era. The talented instructors in [the] program not only helped advance me into an accomplished ballerina but also into a more faithful servant of Jesus Christ using dance as a form of worship.”
A lifelong journey
“This lifelong journey included annual seasonal training, auditions, numerous external summer intensives and wonderful performances on stages across the nation and abroad, for audiences ranging from a few dozen to several thousand,” Maxwell continued.
“… Taking ballet has instilled in me a deep understanding of perseverance and resilience. Pursuing excellence in ballet required me to overcome physical and emotional challenges … I learned to seek out solutions — whether physical therapy for healing my body or prayer and reflection to rejuvenate my spirit. These experiences have strengthened my ability to face setbacks, adapt and emerge stronger.
Ballet has cultivated in me a unique combination of athleticism, discipline and creative imagination. The most elegant performances emerge from the interplay of technical mastery and creative expression. The collaborative nature of ballet, where individuals work in harmony to create something greater than themselves, informs my approach to teamwork and innovation, both in the classroom and community.”
“… Ballet has [also] given me the gift of joy — both in experiencing it personally as a testament to Christ’s goodness and in sharing it with audiences. This joy, while intangible, is a powerful force that I hope to bring into my next chapters following high school. Whether through teaching movement, choreographing performances or exploring ways to expand ballet offerings, I aspire to enrich the community with the beauty and joy of dance.
… My time at Perimeter Ballet has equipped me with perseverance, discipline, creativity and a passion for sharing joy — qualities that I am excited to further cultivate as a young adult. These will not only enhance my personal journey but also contribute meaningfully to the rich tapestry of life. As I enter my senior year later this fall, I am full of gratitude for the solid foundation of technique and creative expression honoring God as the giver of my talent.”
Upcoming events
Perimeter Ballet’s Annual Spring Recital will be held in the Perimeter Church Sanctuary on Thursday, May 1 and Friday, May 2 from 7 p.m. to 8:15 p.m.
Summer camp sessions are scheduled for June and July. Registration will open on April 15.
2025-2026 classes will start in August with registration opening on April 15.
With help from Anne Bradley, the school is also planning a fundraiser event later in the year to mark the 30th anniversary.
For more information, visit perimeterballet.com.
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